Letting puppy off the lead

gstuart · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:22 pm Post subject: Letting puppy off the lead

Hi,have been trying hard to teach missy my 6 month old lab basic commands,

Since i've had her i never let her off the lead unless there was knowone around, she would come back to me on recall.

Whilst back on the lead ,she saw another dog she would try and pull my arm out of the socket, i gave her the leave command,a quick jerk on the lead,she came to heal wagging her tail like mad.Once she got near enough to touch the other dog, is was very hard to hold her and totally ignore me.

I let her say hello and then walk away giving her the leave command whilst pulling her on the lead.

Well today whilst up the woods.river met another walker with a 3 year old yellow lab,missy went nuts ,thought she would really have my arm out of its socket, i spoke to the guy and asked if his dog was ok, which it was.

i decided then to make missy sit, then let her off the lead, made her stay there for abit then let her go.she was off with the other dog like a shot.

With this i thought christ what have a done, but as we walked along the river missy didn't leave the other dogs side.then another lab came along to join in.

Sorry to ramble on, but i found missy was alot happier off the lead .

But here is my question , i had cheese with me tried to call her back and she basically said up yours, i had to go to her, was that a huge mistake,i think she was having so much fun me allowing her some freedom.

I have got a whistle and a clicker, has anyone got any advice please how to recall her to come whilst playing with other dogs .

The reason i want to do ,in case another dog she is playing with decides to run off or go into a road or danger.

my apologies again for writing an essay,but felt so happy for missy having a great time today letting her off the lead for the first time but on the same token worried i wont be able to get her back on recall

thanks so much as always for previous help

all the best

gary

_Donna_ · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:31 pm Post subject:

i don;t remember what i done with Madison, but i do know i let her off lead as soon as she was allowed outside(after the jabs) and i never had a prob with her coming back to me, in fact i think she always stayed close by... Sorry no help waht so ever.... Embarassed

gstuart · Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 10:54 pm Post subject:

when there is knowone around she will always stay close, but if there is a dog in the distance she would be off,if i hadnt put her on the lead.

Makes it very stressfull and i wonder if missy knows that im stressed

However seeing her today off the lead running around me very happy.

CarlyLab · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:21 am Post subject:

I had this problem with Carly.. (still do sometimes so poss not the best person to give advice as she's 3 - lol) - anyhows to get Carly to come back to me i started to walk in the opp. direction calling her name... (but thats obviously not good if you feel the other dog is leading her to danger).. and she soon comes back to me..

Brit · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:30 am Post subject:

heya,

well my 6 month old black lab does not come back off the lead if someone else is around, and its extremely annoying.

Sad

gstuart · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:12 pm Post subject:

I do get very frustrated and annoyed and when i go and get her i could really get angry with her, but soon as i put my hand on her i give her plenty of love and affection.

Her latest trick is finding a snail in the garden i wont allow her to eat them as i heard they have a small harmful worm inside them

Trying to get it back is getting harder, if i go out into the garden she just runs off, at first there was me chasing her round the garden she thought this was great fun, next said bye missy then when she came in doors grabbed her,then cheese, then the lead for walkies, she is now wise to all of them.

Have to hope she will not progress to eating one, get really frustrated as im trying to stop her getting sick and trying to think of a way to get her back to me,When i do catch up to her i tell her leave she will drop it into my hand no problem

Now the little one i starting to cotten on, great game lets both drive him loony toons and send him to the nut house.

The other day i caught missy she dropped it candy picked it up and ran off, she was alot easier to catch for now that is.

Great to know its not just me getting frustrated and wound up when we try and recall our dogs they turned round look at us and say Yeh Right In Your Dreams

all the best

gary

treecity · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:28 pm Post subject:

With reference to eating things like snails in the garden, if they ignore you or run off... I use a bottle of water to squirt at them as I say 'leave'.

Fairly soon, they start to take more notice of the command.

Even though Sophie loves to play in water, she hates being squirted with the water bottle so it's handy when she is playing up. Wink

pam1 · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:22 pm Post subject:

I'm training Bess on a closed in basket ball pitch. I'm walking Bess with lead around her neck, so she thinks she still got it on with my hands in my pocket to heel. I've just started sitting her with lead on her, dropping it walking away from her keeping me facing her then go back again to her, then praise her.

To finish a couple of throws with the dummy Cool

Which way I throw it My arm out so she learning my arm as well.

I've not had her off lead yet in open space. She 10 months. her time will come . I'm in no rush Razz

Whether I'm doing it right time will tell. Wink

Becs · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:35 pm Post subject:

Firstly, stop chasing your pups! It's a fabulous game for them and it makes it all the harder to recall them. My pup often picks snails up and carries them around in her mouth, and even cracks their shells (yuck!) but if you watch from a distance, you'll most likely find that your pups doesn't eat the snail, but will spit them out. The more you react, the better the game and the more she'll do it. My garden is full of snails as I wont put snail pellets down, so I'd be onto a looser if I made a fuss every time the pup picked one up. She's doing it less and less as she's getting older anyway (she's 12 weeks)

If you search on the site for previous threads on 'long lines' you should pick up some good advice on teaching dogs to come when called.

Personally, i always let my pups off lead from the start where it's safe, as it's not in a young pup's interest to go loosing 'mum' and they stay very close. It's a great opportunity to teach them to come when called and make a fuss and loads of praise when they respond.

Good luck!

becs and the Gang

bld · Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject:

I currently have the opposite! Gillie will trot along very happily right next to me off the lead but put the lead on and he either plants his bum on the floor or gets the lead in his mouth! Roll on puppy classes Smile